The Open Road: The Global Journey of the 14th Dalai Lama: Pico Iyer
Fascinating look at the Dalai Lama and the entire Tibetan cause. Decidedly not a hagiography of His Holiness, nor a patronizing romanticizing of Tibet, Iyer offers sketches of who the Dalai Lama is as a human being and also as a symbol projected onto both by the West, and a his own people. He has a unique perspective, perhaps because his father had been friends with the man, perhaps in part because of his own heritage as a Western educated Tamil who resides now in Tokyo, he is able to cut through the orientalism/exoticism/and colonial romance that we here in the Western world project onto Tibet. Offering some history combined with contemporary descriptions of Dharamsala and the pluses and perils of modernity, whiel also delving into the current internal politics of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and overall just creating a more more dimensional and complex portrait than I've encountered anywhere before. Highly recommended for its unique perspective on the issue.
Tree of Smoke: Denis Johnson
At long last, one of my favorite authors has won the National Book Award, now for his swirling psychedelic epic of the Vietnam War. Its hard to know where to begin with describing this doorstop of a novel- the writing is beautiful and poetic as one would expect from Johnson, originally a poet. The storyline itself is complex and difficult to follow, with an extensive cast that utilizes and upends conventions and cliches of Vietnam narratives- the madly obsessed colonel, the innocent childlike private, the inscrutable Vietnamese friend- or is he an enemy? But Johnson brings a fresh take on these, and manages to keep the story moving along, sometimes more efficiently than at other times, with all of these characters. Definitely recommended, but definitely a time commitment.
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